Once one of the richest men in the world, Howard Hughes was a pioneer in aviation, Hollywood filmmaking and in business.
What does the man best remembered for the Spruce Goose and his bizarre eccentricities have to do with Tucson? If it weren’t for Hughes, there would be no Raytheon.
It all began when Charles Lindbergh inspired a nation with his transatlantic flight in 1927 from New York to Paris. He also inspired a 21-year-old from Houston named Howard Hughes.
“When Charles Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic Ocean and into fame and adoration, Howard Hughes decided he wanted a piece of that action,” said award-winning Tucson historian David Leighton…